The soldiers battled Islamic extremists from the Abu Sayyaf group on
the troubled island of Basilan, with the fighting leaving at least 10
soldiers and 9 militants dead.

Western Mindanao Command spokesperson Lt. Col. Randolph Cabangbang
said 8 of the soldiers died in the morning clash in Barangay Upper
Cabengbeng, Sumisip town. Two more soldiers died in another skirmish in
the afternoon. At least 16 soldiers were wounded.

Casualty figures may be even higher as not all the fallen Abu Sayyaf fighters were recovered, the military said.

Cabangbang said Thursday’s clash was triggered by an alleged
harassment of the bandit group of soldiers stationed near a rubber
plantation in the area on Wednesday.

According to Cabangbang, the attack was perpetrated by Wyms Wakil, a
former assistant manager of the rubber plantation’s cooperative who was
fired last year.

Cabangbang said Wakil also has links to separatist group Moro Islamic
Liberation Front (MILF) but is “more inclined” to work with the Abu
Sayyaf Group.

“For the past nine months he did nothing but to harass the rubber
plantation employees. So far 16 already died and 34 were wounded from
the side of the workers. He has some ax to grind,” Cabangbang told
ABS-CBN News Channel.

The latest of the attacks was carried out last July 11, where at least six people died and 22 were wounded.

The plantation workers' cooperative operating in the area had
previously received extortion letters purportedly from the Abu Sayyaf
demanding payment of over $1,000 a month in exchange for not being
harmed.

Cabangbang said troops seemed to have trapped some of the bandits in a
portion of the province and the military will be sending reinforcements
in the area.

“We are ready to re-engage, we will be re-supplying them (soldiers)
today. Our wounded have been evacuated already. We will try to engage
them again today and tomorrow,” Cabangbang said.

Abu Sayyaf Group, which was founded in the 1990s with seed money from
then Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, has been blamed for the worst
terror attacks in Philippine history including deadly bombings and
kidnappings for ransom.

The heavily-forested island of Basilan has long been a stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf.

About 600 US troops have been rotating through the southern
Philippines for a decade to help train local troops in hunting the Abu
Sayyaf. However the Americans are barred from taking part in combat.